A computing device may operate in an Always On Always Connected (AOAC) mode. In the AOAC mode, the computing device may have a continuous network connection to one or more designated application servers (“the application servers”), e.g., enterprise application servers, via a communication network, while the computing device is operating in a standby mode, e.g., having relatively low power consumption.
When operating in the AOAC mode, the computing device may keep the network connection open in order to receive updates from the application servers to one or more applications installed on the computing device (“the client applications”). For example, a computing device running an email application, may keep the network connection open, while in the standby mode, in order to update the email application from an email application server.
Upon receiving a targeted packet, e.g., indented to the client applications, the computing device may be switched to an active mode, e.g., full operational mode, and may activate the client applications in order to receive and handle the targeted packet. For example, a notebook in standby mode, e.g., having the notebook lid closed, may be activated and may activate the mail application upon receiving an email message indented to the computing device.
In order to avoid activating the computing device by an unauthorized incoming packet, e.g., a packet not intended to any of the client applications, the computing device may utilize a filtering criterion to recognize and filter received packets before activating the computing device.